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disguise the coupon code? seems like many of them now make you click 'something' to expose the actual coupon on their site..or take you to a pop-up window showing the coupon (while taking you to the affiliate landing page).

i'm assuming some may do this to prevent other affiliates from taking their codes....or maybe it has to do with getting shoppers to go their their website to order?

i noticed coupon cabin is even doing this now (on their merchant pages, you have to 'peel for code' to actually see their coupon codes). i don't get it. can someone explain why coupon sites are doing this?

disguise the coupon code? seems like many of them now make you click 'something' to expose the actual coupon on their site..or take you to a pop-up window showing the coupon (while taking you to the affiliate landing page).

i'm assuming some may do this to prevent other affiliates from taking their codes....or maybe it has to do with getting shoppers to go their their website to order?

i noticed coupon cabin is even doing this now (on their merchant pages, you have to 'peel for code' to actually see their coupon codes). i don't get it. can someone explain why coupon sites are doing this?

They are STUFFING a cookie. If somebody just read the coupon code and leave their site to buy from somewhere else they don't make a commission.
IMHO, the networks should not allow that behavior.
Affiliate marketing is not about getting paid if a visitor read information but only if a purchase is made from that site. Setting a cookie to read (or peel a coupon) doesn't mean the visitor want to buy the product. A cookie should not be set.

I guess then this thread begs the question: what is the best way to prevent my cookies from being stolen? are there "white hat" cookie stuffing techniques to ensure i get paid for what i sell? i thought coupon cabin was a reliable site and they didn't have to steal commissions...i guess not. maybe they are doing this to protect themselves from having commissions stolen from them.....i don't know.
any suggestions on where i can go to study up on protecting my affilate sales?

The best way to protect your commissions is to provide the best service to your visitors. You can't prevent them to look around. If they like you, they will come back to your site and buy from your links.
A site like coupon cabin must feel really unsecure to have to trick their visitors to make a sale. It's ugly!
People are using cut & paste to lift content from websites. They use that content for different reasons. Is it good or bad? Who knows? Pieces of information are taken from merchants and affiliates sites all the time. Nobody will think to set a cookie each time it's done. A coupon is nothing more than content. It should not be different.
Peeling something to read what's under doesn't mean you want to buy the product.

maybe they are doing this to protect themselves from having commissions stolen from them

Nobody is stealing their commissions by reading content on their website but by setting a cookie, coupon cabin claims a commission they don't deserve.

I think they are protecting their content. Why should they offer the coupon that is closing the sale and not get credit for it? A lot of work goes into maintaining a coupon site.
A lot of shoppers go to coupon sites and use the coupons without the coupon site getting any credit at all. I don't see that as cookie stuffing. The people have to click to get the coupon and they do state it will also open the merchant site. So the person knowingly clicks, no tricking anyone into anything.
It also protects them from other coupon sites scraping their content/coupons which is a huge issue.
Seems it is usually non coupon sites complaining about coupon sites, as they dont want to put the work in that it takes to maintain a coupon site and resent that many consumers want coupons and use coupon sites over their non coupon sites.

The coupon is closing the sale ONLY is a visitor click on a link allowed by a merchant. I'm not sure "peel to reveal code" or similar wording are a good way to promote a merchant and is permitted by all of them.

A lot of work goes into maintaining a coupon site.

Does it mean you don't have to work to maintain a content site?

It also protects them from other coupon sites scraping their content/coupons which is a huge issue

Maybe a few years ago, not anymore you can buy coupon feeds or have coupons uploaded by your visitors.

Now, imagine a world where websites are hiding part of their content (I mean real content, not only coupon codes) with "Peel Away Ads". To read the end of a sentence you have to peel away something (and a cookie is set in the background).
It's what you are asking for and I don't think it's the spirit of Internet and Affiliate marketing.
Customers want coupons, I agree. Do you have to hide them to please your visitors? No, it's a trick to MAKE the sale, not to CLOSE it. Let the visitor decide if he wants to buy from your site or not.

"peel to reveal code" is a marketing tactic, trendy. Doesn't make that affiliate a culprit.

Couponers have to set a cookie to make a commission regardless if they are white hat or black hat. Unless and until the networks make it easier for all parties to use automated links we will have to rely on the cookie method.

I talked to a network about a cookie-less method and they said its require. Try using a shopping cart with cookies off. It doesn't work.

It's what you are asking for and I don't think it's the spirit of Internet and Affiliate marketing.

Zeus you are an idealist and unfortunately everyone is trying to make a living. Its not all black and white, plus we have few who vet these issues. Don't shoot the messenger I am just trying to be honest.

So, on my content blogs, say I was to change my "Read more" links to "Read more and open merchant site" links.

I wonder how many aff. managers would be okay with that?

Most "Click for more info" links *do* open the merchant site.

Opening that page in the background and not taking the consumer to the merchant site *is* an issue.

What Michael said, it's all about user experience in the long run. If a site isn't giving out good info and is just backsetting cookies, that site won't get repeat visitors and even that cookie they snuck in will probably be overwritten by another site in the chain as the consumer goes to look for a site with a coupon or sale posted that the consumer can actually see.

And yes, networks need to make that link to the coupon be trackable. As a merchant I only have one merchant that can do it themselves, and I pledge to match coupons to the "right" sites in my personal merchant sites.

Affiliates that have a content site could easily put a coupon link with their content and then customers would not have to leave their site to look for a coupon.

As a shopper I think this is the best solution. As an affiliate it is a maintenance issue. I know I couldn't handle maintaining content and coupons without a staff or a service, unless the coupon link went to a separate coupon section of the site - if that makes sense. Then the content could include generic wording for the coupon which wouldn't have to be maintained all the time with changing links or coupon codes and expiration dates (within the content).

I think the acceptable solution is to use a Flash plugin like zeroclipboard which floats transparently over a visible coupon code. When you hover over it a fade-in box should indicate that clicking will copy the coupon code to your clipboard and take you to the site. This prevents the customer from simply selecting and copying the code without clicking a link, yet the code is still visible to the eye.

I think the acceptable solution is to use a Flash plugin like zeroclipboard which floats transparently over a visible coupon code. When you hover over it a fade-in box should indicate that clicking will copy the coupon code to your clipboard and take you to the site. This prevents the customer from simply selecting and copying the code without clicking a link, yet the code is still visible to the eye.